Between six and nine million Pakistanis are at risk of falling into poverty as a result of flooding caused by monsoon rains, on a scale unprecedented in the context of climate change, the World Bank warned Thursday.
Eight million people remain displaced, living in tent camps near stagnant waters that have submerged their possessions and livelihoods.
Pakistan has been devastated this year by monsoon rains of unprecedented intensity, which have claimed 1,700 lives, destroyed two million homes and flooded a third of the country.
According to the report by the World Bank, a development finance agency, the poverty rate in Pakistan is likely to increase by 2.5 to 4 percent as a direct result of the floods.
Loss of jobs, livestock, crops, homes and school closures, as well as the spread of disease and rising food prices threaten to push between 5.8 and 9 million people into poverty.
“Reversing these negative socioeconomic consequences will undoubtedly take a long time,” the report states.
Appeal to rich countries
About 20% of Pakistan’s 220 million people already live below the poverty line, according to the Asian Development Bank. According to the World Bank, inflation in the country is expected to reach 23% in fiscal year 2023.
Pakistan is only responsible for less than 1% of global greenhouse gas emissions, but is among the countries most vulnerable to extreme weather events due to global warming.
Islamabad has called on rich, industrialized countries with a larger carbon footprint to help those less fortunate to get more justice in the face of climate change.
“We cannot afford to give our economy a stimulus package that creates jobs and gives people the sustainable income they need,” Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman said on Tuesday. “We are still in a long and relentless fight to save lives,” she added.
Source: BFM TV
